Letter: What’s a Metro Gold Card?

This letter sent to the Star was written by Mike Smith, A South Yorkshire Freedom Rider, S70
Mayor Dan JarvisMayor Dan Jarvis
Mayor Dan Jarvis

As a result of a Freedom of Information request to the Nexus Gold Card I discovered the following; “Nexus generates approximately £0.9m on Metro Gold Card in a typical year. In that regard, the Metro Gold Card is self-financing.”

What’s a Metro Gold Card?

“If you have an English National Concessionary Travel Pass (CT Pass), you can buy a Metro Gold Card which gives you a year’s travel on Metro, the Shields Ferry and on Northern Rail services between Newcastle and Sunderland. It’s just £12 a year if you live in Tyne and Wear and £24 if you don’t.”

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Mayor Jarvis agreed two years ago to investigate the Gold Card scheme as a solution to the restoration of the full train concession for the elderly and disabled in South Yorkshire.

This scheme would potentially bring tens of thousands and more elderly into our region boosting local economies and cultural centres. Despite the agreement the South Yorkshire Freedom Riders and the constituents of South Yorkshire have been met with silence.

Despite several months of requests for a response and a code of conduct which requires leadership and accountability, Mayor Jarvis continues with his code of silence.

Here’s a cost-free solution to an eight-year impasse which offers the opportunity to possibly fund the FreeBee bus service.

So why the silence Mayor Jarvis?

Why not action?

Why not improve and ease lives instead of making them harder?

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